This post is for the one-man/woman band.
They are the unsung business heroes juggling multiple hats to bring unparalleled levels of services to his or her customers and flexibility that most corporations would give its right arm to possess (if it had one).
I say to you it’s time to stand up and take a bow and that means being yourself in your marketing.
Granted, there’s a lot of value in creating the illusion of your business being bigger than it is to attract larger clients. However, that doesn’t mean you should lose your personality.
People buy from people
A cliché but still true.
It’s where many large companies fall down.
In the online world, buying has taken on an impersonal guise.
There’s no cheery ‘hello’ from the sales assistant; no one-to-one help to make sure you buy the right size. Human contact is no longer part of the buying process – but that’s where you, as an SME, can fight back.
You have the ability to inject your personality in a way that big business can only dream about.
Every blog you write to boost your online presence can be a little piece of you. Your voice can come shining through, and you shouldn’t be afraid to let it.
Forget all the corporate baloney you’ve read. Your blogs should ooze personality. Throw caution to the wind and break a few grammar rules to get that ‘I’m talking directly to you’ conversational style that’s loved so much by readers.
It’s not easy to achieve, so here are some tips on how you can master it.
How to be personal
The first step is to forget about the fact that you’re writing for business purposes.
You want to attract customers; the people who could come into your shop (if you had one) to chat and make small talk before buying from you.
That’s why you should write your blogs as though you were speaking to them.
How do you do that?
Simple, do what I’m doing right now.
As I write, I’m not thinking about creating a blog post. In my head, we are sitting together enjoying a coffee. As we drink, we are chatting about blogging. You’ve been having some real issues with achieving an authentic tone, and I’m telling you how best to go about it.
As our conversation unfolds in my head, I write it down. I don’t edit what I write because I want it to come across as it would if I were speaking to you.
I’ll tidy it up a bit before I publish, but in the main it be left in a conversational style – just as it played out in my head.
It takes a bit of practice, and you’ll probably feel a bit uncomfortable at first but the more you do it, the easier it will become, and the more your personality will shine through.
As a result, you will humanise your writing and come across as professional, knowledgeable and approachable – the holy trinity of the business world.
Give it a try – you’ll find it works.